News
Health City Cayman Islands' Medical Team Saves Stabbing Victim's Life
A Caymanian man who was recently stabbed in his liver and on the brink of death is grateful to the medical practitioners at Health City Cayman Islands for saving his life.
The young man, who sustained a severe liver injury following a stabbing incident during last May's carnival festivities, was admitted to the East End facility after being referred from the George Town Hospital.
Health City is the only hospital in the Cayman Islands that is able to treat liver injuries. Liver trauma patients were previously flown overseas for treatment.
Despite his chances of survival being borderline, the patient, who preferred not to be identified due to ongoing court proceedings resulting from the attack, readily accepted the recommended care and reassurance from the medical staff: “They were great … the doctors calmed me down,” he said. “If I had to be flown overseas I don’t think I would’ve made it. I would’ve lost too much blood by then.”
The patient was cared for by Dr. Deepak Varma, a senior gastrointestinal and hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon with 20 years’ experience.
With significant blood loss, the critically injured patient was stabilized in Health City’s Level 3 Trauma Centre before undergoing emergency surgery. Dr. Varma recalled that once the patient got to the hospital, within half an hour he was inside the operating room and the bleeding was under control. He confirmed that since the liver is a vascular organ, the excessive nature of the bleeding could have resulted in loss of life.
Dr. Varma, who led the operating team, explained the patient was prepped for a laparotomy, a surgical procedure where an incision is made, in this case in the abdomen, to identify and stop the source of the bleeding.
The surgeon said most liver injuries heal within two to three months and physically fit patients can engage in normal activities after the liver heals. Fortunately, he said, the patient is now on the road to recovery.
“I’m feeling much better, 10 times better. I’ll soon be able to start working out, doing more activities … but I just have to take it one day at a time,” the patient said, expressing his appreciation for the tertiary care medical facility. “It’s great to have Health City there. I’m just grateful to be alive. They really took good care of me.”
The Caymanian resident also expressed his gratitude that care was available locally, since arranging an air ambulance takes several hours and any delay in treatment would have negatively impacted his chances of survival.
